KDMC on property tax

The central suburbs of Mumbai are witnessing change as civic body commissioners are displaying positive aggression in matters of public interest. While Thane’s municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal ordered demolition of legal and illegal structures to unclog & clear the station road area, in a fresh move, KDMC’s commissioner E Ravindran took property tax defaulters to task by attaching their properties last week.

On March 8, the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) sealed offices of highest property tax evaders in the city which include prominent names like Roop Sangam shop, theaters at SM5 mall, JP resort and even the office of Poddar Developers. They have defaulted on payment of property tax not only for the year 2015-2016 but for past many years.

“In the past, these defaulters got away without paying their dues as the earlier municipal commissioners refrained from taking strict action. But now, we have strict orders to seal and auction the properties of tax evaders,” said a KDMC official who refused to be named adding that the current commissioner E Ravindran spares nobody and this was amply evident during the demolition drive near Kalyan station for road widening in January this year.

The outstanding amount of unpaid tax for each of the above defaulter is JP resort Rs10.16 crore, SM 5 theaters Rs. 2.58 crore, Roop Sangam shop Rs. 70 lac and Poddar Developers Rs. 89, 22,792. KDMC will auction the properties confiscated from tax evaders this week. “If they pay off their dues along with penalty, their properties will be unsealed,” added the official.

Thane Municipal Corporation

While presenting the annual budget of the civic body to the Standing Committee, The Municipal commissioner of Thane Sanjeev Jaiswal has proposed a hike of 10% in property taxes, both residential and commercial.

The Rs 2549.82 crore budget for 2016-17 already includes Rs 230.10 crore surplus carried forward from the previous year.  Jaiswal said there has not been any increase in the property tax since long, adding that “If this hike is approved, it will help the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to earn additional Rs 31 crore. The hike in the property tax is proposed from current 26 to 36 per cent for residential purpose to 48.50 per cent for non-residential purpose from the present 38.50 per cent.

In The meeting chaired by TMC standing committee chairman Naresh Mhaske, it was communicated that the civic body is expected to garner Rs 700 crore from Local Body Tax, Rs 456 crore from property tax, fees, and government taxes, Rs 515 crore from development fees, Rs 150 crore from water cess, Rs 180 crore from grants from Maharashtra and Union governments.

Property Tax

This time Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is going to be tuff on property as well as water tax offenders because now corporations planning to release the list of property tax evaders in public. With a need to meet the fiscal deficit now municipal corporations is planning to take rough steps against those who have not cleared their property tax. However; The KDMC (Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation) is ready to confiscate private belongings such as; fridge, television and washing machines and the TMC (Thane Municipal Corporation) has decided to make the names of property tax defaulters public.

According to Sanjeev Jaiswal, The Chief of TMC, “Soon we will release the list in public and it will contain the name of all those who have not cleared their property tax and it will applicable on those whose tax billing amounts are running in lakhs and even crores because from past many years such people haven’t filled their taxes”. The more he added that the water connection of water tax defaulters will be disconnected till the payment of bills. There are number of citizens who avoid paying their water and property tax and now corporation is ready to make tough decisions.

For the fiscal year 2015-16, the TMC has set the target of Rs 350 crore only through the property tax collection. According to KDMC officials, “It could be difficult time for tax defaulters because there are many defaulters who are waiting for the amnesty schemes of KDMC to pay the taxes, where they can get away without paying the penalty on late tax payments. The KDMC has announced that they could be confiscate household belongings of property tax defaulters.